Bow.



1 the how; 0, the

UNITED STATES.

Patented. August 1 I, 1908.

JOHN J. ADAMS, or CHARLOTTE, NORTII CAROLINA.

BOW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,051, dated August 11, 1903.

Application filed October 25, 1902. Serial No. 128,765. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN JAMES ADAMS, of Charlotte, in the county of Mecklenburg and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Bows, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improvement in bows, and it relates to that form of how in which the arrow is a captive arrow-that is to say,the arrowis connected to a cord wound upon a spool or reel, by which the flight trolled and the arrow drawn back by means of the cord or the arrow and cord utilized for subsequently carrying a heavier line or rope to or across an elevated or inaccesibl e point. It is designed to be usedfor purposes of sport or for carrying a line to the elevated portions,

of a burning building or for carrying a line across a stream or ravine in bridge-building or for taking a life-line to a disabled vessel or other analogous purpose; and it consists inthe novel construction and arrangement of parts hereby the direction of the arrow is more certainly controlled-and the device remdered more simple, convenient, and effective for the various purposes named, as will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of the bow and arrow, showing the manner of using the same. Fig. 2 is anenlarged detail in perspective of the middle part of the bow. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 30f Fig. 2, and Figs. 4 and 5 are details of modifications.-

In the drawings, A represents the arrow; B, bow-string; D, the cord which isattached to and restrainfs the arrows flight, and E the spool upon which the cord is wound.

The arrow rnay either be pointed or provided with a cushion-ball a on its end, by which it is rendered harmless for purposes of sport in the street or within a building, the said cushion-ball being a hollow rubber ball.

The notched or finger'end of the arrow is permanently connected to the cord 1), and this cord is wound upon a spool E, which is rigidly but detacha-bly fixed to the middle of the bow. This spool is made hollow or with a central here, through which the notched end of the arrow is inserted, and which bore of the spool forms a guide for the arrow that of the arrow is restrained or con-" is within the coils ofthe cord on the spool and concentric thereto. serves the double purpose of a guide-eye for the arrow and a carrier forthe cord and has an important function, as will be hereinafter described. The spool has no flange on its outer end, and its body portion is approximately the surface of a cylinder, which is slightly scored with small circular grooves arranged side by side, as shown at s, which serve to prevent the cord-coils from slipping off in a. bunch and becoming entangled with each other in. paying off.

The captive arrow is inserted through the front end of the spool and is extended back through its bore, and its notched end is brought against the string 0. The notched end of the arrow, to which the string is s'e cured, is then grasped between the thumb and fingers of one hand and drawn back, while the other hand holds the bow, as seen in Fig. 1. The arrow is then discharged by a release of the thumb and fingers in the usual way. As the arrow proceeds on its flight the cord pays oft concentrically, one convolutionat a time, with practically no frictional retardation; but, portant, the cord as it pays off assumesin the air the form of a spiral which is concentric with the arrow, and as the pull of the cord on the captive arrow constantly changes what is most im- This spool thus around the axis of the spool this pull involves no deflection of the arrow whatever either to one side or the other, but rather tends to give to the arrow a true alinement in flight by setting up in the arrow a slight rotary motion about its own axis, which, even if the arrow be slightly bent, will cause it to go true to its mark.

I am aware of the fact that a captive arrow has been connected by its cord toa revolving reel, which when the arrow was shot from the bow compelled the reel to rotate in unwinding the cord. There are, however, many serious objections to this arrangement, In the first place the pull on the arrow being eccentric and always on one side thearrow is constantlydefleeted from its course. In the second place the power required to rotate the reel is so serious at retardation to the [light of a light arrow that the latter could attain no considerable flight, and in the third place the sudden jerk on the reel when the arrow first starts on its fiight causes the reel to have such anexcessive ini- -tial velocity as to unwind too fast at the initial part of its movement and involves a tangle in the convolution of the cord. I am also aware that in line throwing guns a conical reel has been located with its axis parallel with and to one side of the gun-barrel; but this involved the same objection of a lateral pull on the arrow always on one side, which prevented it from going true, and, besides, the reel did not subserve the purpose of a concentric guide for the arrow. q

In attaching my spool to the bow the latter is not out transversely or i-mpairedjn any way as to its strength and resilience; but the spool is detachably applied as follows: Along one edge of the bow at its middle ahandle or thumb-piece F is applied by bands or clips I) b, which embrace the bow and the handlepiece and also inolose on the opposite edge of the bow two clasp-springs c 0, between which the-spool is thrust and by which the spool is detachably held, the spool being grooved or flanged transversely at the point where it is grasped by the said springs. To detach the spool, it isonly necessary to thrust it laterally from between the springs, and then the bow and arrow may be used as any ordinary bow and arrow.

In carrying out my invention I may modify the form of handle F in various ways. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it is simply a wide short bar laid parallel to the bow and which is to be grasped in the left hand, which also incloses the bow, as shown in Fig. 1; but this handle may be made in the form of a loop,

as seenat F in Fig. 4, or it may be made to extend at right angles to the bow, as seen at F in Fig. 5, in which case the bow is held horizontally when used.

Another advantage of the concentric spool and arrow-guide is that in shooting the forefinger of the left hand is brought immediately adjacent to the spool and in convenient position to be instantly applied to the cord on the spool as a brake to arrest the flight of the arrow at any point. This is a very useful feature, as a boy in sport may stop his arrow if he finds itgoing against a window or toward one of his fellows or if in throwing a line over a burning building the bowman finds his arrow going into the fire or if he wants to drop the arrow at any particular point short of its normal fiight. I do not claim, broadly, an arrow-guide for a bow, as I am aware that an eye has been applied to the bow-to form an arrow-guide; but I do not know that an arrow-guide has ever been formed as a spool to receivethe convolutions of cord from a captive arrow, which secures theimportant advantages hereinbefore described.

. In connecting the inn-or end of the cord which secures the arrow I prefer to attach it not to the snool' direct, but to the how, so that the jfilli' the cord when fully paid out will notdislodge the spool from its springclasps.

In manipulating the bow where occasion or use requires greater strength than could be exerted by a mans arm such other force as might be necessary could be used.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. An attachment an arrow-guide made in a separate piece from the bow and having a central hole and an ex terior spool-surface adapted to receive convolutions of cord, and to be applied to one side of the bow, and means for attaching the combined arrow-guide and spool to the side of the bow, said means consisting of clampsprin'gs embracing the spool, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination. with a bow, of a combined guide and spool made in aseparate piece from the bow and detachably fixed to the bow in middle position at one side of the bow to receive the cord from a captive arrow, clamp springs embracing the spool, and bands securing the springs to. the bow, substantially as shown and described. Q

3. The combination with a bow, of an arrow-guide formed in theshape of a spool fixed to the bow in middle position and at one side of the bow, a clamp for holding the spool to the bow, a handle applied to the bow on the opposite side from said spool, and means for securing the spool-clamp and handle to the bow, substantially as shown and described.

at. The combination witha bow; of an arrow-guide formed in the shape of a spool fixed to the bow in middle position at right angles to the bow, and clasp-springs attached to the bow and adapted to detachably receiye and hold the spool substantially as described.

5. The combination with a bow; of an arrow-guide formed in the shape of aspool fixed to the bow in middle position at right angles to the how, a handle applied to one side of thebow, clasp-springs applied to the other side of the bow to receive and hold the spool,

and retaining bands or clips encompassing within their embrace, the bow, the handle, and the clasp-springs substantially as described.

for a bow consisting of 6. The combination of a how, an arrow, an

arrow-guide fixed to the middle of the bow and made in the form of a spool, and'a cord attached at one end to'the arrow and at the other end wrapped around the spool substantially as and for the purpose described. 7

7. The combination with a bow, of a coilholder for the cord of a captive arrow, said coil-holder being fixed to the how so as to inclose the axial line of the arrow within the coils of the cord substantially as described.

JOHN J. ADAMS.

Witnesses:

IIUBER'J. PAMSAUR, l). CAE'DAR. 

